Carolina @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 7, 2019 ) NY Rangers 4, Carolina 2

The Carolina Hurricanes are back on track since dropping four in a row earlier this month, winning two straight and six of seven as they prepare for another matchup against one of their biggest nemesis. The Hurricanes will be seeking to avenge a 4-2 home loss to the New York Rangers on Nov. 7 when they visit Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

Carolina won its last visit to New York with a 3-0 shutout on Feb. 8, ending a 16-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden, and arrive in Manhattan off consecutive wins over Florida (4-2) and Detroit (2-0). "It's been great the last two games. That's the way you want to play," said coach Rod Brind'Amour, whose team has lost 28 of 34 overall to New York. The Rangers have won back-to-back games in dramatic fashion, erasing a four-goal deficit in Montreal and scoring late in regulation before topping Minnesota in overtime. "You can just feel us growing as a team," coach David Quinn said after the 3-2 win over the Wild. "And I think our guys feel good not only about themselves, but I think guys feel good about each other."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolina, MSG-Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (15-8-1): Sebastian Aho, who led the team with 30 goals and 83 points last season, managed only six points through the first 12 games before heating up when the calendar flipped to November. Aho scored once and set up another tally against Detroit to boost his total to nine goals and 14 points in a dozen games this month, giving him a team-high 12 goals. Aho, who is riding a four-game point streak, scored earlier this month against New York but he was limited to one assist in four meetings last season.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (11-9-2): Set to appear in his 1,000th career game (postseason included), Lundqvist turned in a 45-save masterpiece three weeks ago to improve to 31-12-1 versus the Hurricanes. New York received a huge lift Tuesday with the news that No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad will return to the lineup after sitting out 13 games. "It's been looking pretty good, and you're itching to get back in when that happens," Zibanejad said. "It's been frustrating to have to watch, and at the same time it's been fun to watch this team play."

OVERTIME

1. Hurricanes F Andrei Svechnikov has four goals and seven assists during an eight-game point streak.

2. Rangers F Artemi Panarin has multiple points in eight of his last 10, including a goal and an assist versus Carolina.

3. The Hurricanes have lost six of eight (2-5-1) versus Metropolitan Division rivals this season.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Hurricanes 2